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Oh my god. Gengar as POTW. Thank god. This thing has been one of two pokemon too be in OU since it started in gen 1. Initially a pain as it had to be traded to evolve, it soon found a variety of sets that could work well and exploit the enemies weaknesses. Sadly, the term paper thin was made with him in mind, and sub is pretty much a necessity, as otherwise you could be down a pokemon

My favourite set
Gengar@Black sludge/leftovers
Evs:252 speed 252 S atk 4 hp
Nature: Timid
Moves: Shadow ball
Focus miss
Substitute
Disable
Standard subdisable gengar. Swap into things like choiced terrak or similar, sub up and unleash hell. Disable to troll choiced mons or to stop healing for a certain pokemon
Ability was not mentioned as it only has levitate, which does nullify a weakness. A good ability for it as well, as any attacks it isnt taking are good.

I have claimed the deadly snake Seviper, as of December 2 2011
Huge credit to Brutaka Blaziken and PkmnFn for the banner
This archeops is currently staring into your soul. Deal with it.

Being one of 2 Pokemon to be OU in all generations so far is nothing to scoff at, and indeed, above average 110 Speed, a very powerful 130 Special Attack and an extensive move-pool justifies Gengar s positioning. However, a low hp, att and def stats mean you can't take hits very will, if at all. The low HP stat makes Gengar s close to passable SpDefence stat redundunt. Thunder Wave is also a problem as is no reliable recovery (although Gengars low HP stat makes him a great user of Pain Split), priority moves also hurt like hell and you are completely hopeless against Pursuit users. His typing is unique but I feel like the Poison sub-typing is rather bad as their are better ways to hurt Grass Types. Gengar also gets an unwelcome Psychic weakness as well as Ground, had it not been thanks to Levitate. Despite these flaws, Gengar is very versatile and will find a place on your team if you need something fast that also hits hard.

Abilities

Levitate: Only ability and a good one. You now have an immunity to ground instead of a weakness although you'd be KO by Earthquake anyway.

A unique set but is pretty simple. DP and SB are powerful options. DP has a small flinch chance but you could choose SB for more power. IcyWind takes care of the many dragons and genies flying around nowadays with that speed drop but Ice Beam hits a lot harder. Focus Blast is very powerful and takes care of Dark Types who may have pursuited you but the accuracy is meh. Destiny Bond is for if you know theres nothhing you can do and somewhat rectifies a bad switch in.

I don't know the EVs and nature. I am not sure about Substitute too. I just added it myself. The opponent didn't got to use the fourth move.

Edit: Forgot the Counters.

Counters: Anything physical will most likely take out Gengar. The problem is its fast. So priority moves like Scizor's Bullet Punch or Mamoswine's Ice Shard are best against it. Tyranitar's Pursuit kills it too cause it will most likely want to switch out against the likes of Tyranitar who boast tremendous Physical Attack. Sucker Punch Users also do nice against it.

Ah, Gengar. The first Ghost...which proved no counter for Alakazam because of it's partial Poison-typing. However, don't let that write it off. A base-stat total of 500, with most of that in Sp. Attack and Speed gives this spirit a fair bit to work with, and thanks to that speed, can allow it to either revenge kill or, if set up, sweep. In addition, it gets access to Drain Punch via. BW2 tutors, so a physical set isn't 100% out of the question.

Set's basic premise is a special revenge-killer. Gengar's movepool for this type of thing is pretty narrow, so I've done my best (expect a second post from me after I consult a ghost-master I typically discuss sets with). Nature and item depend on which you'd rather focus on, speed or power. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast have perfect coverage, although the lack of accuracy on Focus Blast is an issue. Shadow Ball hits the psychic types that need to be removed, while Focus Blast can deal with Dark types and/or Heatran. Giga Drain gives Gengar some form of recovery, and a decent hit against Gastrodon and other Water/Ground types that might survive a Shadow Ball. Energy Ball performs the same purpose, although it lacks the recovery element. Sludge Bomb...eh, it was either Sludge Bomb or Thunderbolt to fill a slot, and Sludge Bomb has STAB and the ability to remove the more annoying Grass types...that would be better dealt with via a Fire-type, while the only purpose for T-bolt would be to do the same as Giga Drain or Energy Ball.

As I said before, should have more sets later, I'm tired, it's 12am on Monday morning here, and I've got my last three days of school this year coming up...I gotta sleep. Maybe I'll come up with a sweeper set or a physical set (I.e. Drain Punch, Shadow Punch/Sucker Punch, Elemental Punches or something...) while I do that.

White FC: 3525-8343-7779

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While I'm no experienced trainer, I'll battle, trade and give anything a go...

I like a good fight, and I NEVER turn off the power when I'm about to lose a battle. Because of others doing this, and me not turning off, my record does not look how it should. It's shame that the pokemon world allows these cowards to escape a loss.

If more people don't do this, then pokemon battling will become more fair and fun.

If anyone wants to battle, I'm up for it. My Immence Salamences need their training.

Gengar and Starmie are the only two Pokemon that have been OU since Gen 1. It's not hard to see why: these two have fantastic typings, movepools, stats, and abilities. But we're focusing on Gengar here, so...

Gengar is the original ghost and has always been popular. I still remember how goofy the Gengar in the first season of the Pokemon anime was, and I always got a laugh out of its Stadium animations. On the battlefield, though, Gengar is terrifying. It has a huge base 130 Sp. Attack and an excellent base 110 Speed. In fact, Gengar is so quick that it can even outrun some Choice Scarf Pokemon.

Gengar's typing and Levitate ability give it three great immunities: Normal, Fighting, and Ground, all of which are common. Of course, it must tread carefully when Mold Breaker is involved, but otherwise, Gengar is free to abuse these immunities in order to switch in many times. And that's a good thing, since with 60/60/75 defenses, it can't take too many direct hits.

Gengar's movepool is full of all sorts of tricks and treats. Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, and Thunderbolt are very popular on this specter. It can also abuse the Substitute/Pain Split combo to great effect, making Chansey and Blissey think twice about switching in. Disable has gained huge popularity on Gengar since its accuracy boost in the generation shift, and for good reason. With Disable, Gengar can force Choiced Pokemon into Struggling or stop the only offensive move on a defensive Pokemon. I've seen many Gengar with Hypnosis on PBR Wifi, but if it misses, Gengar is in a heap of trouble. Finally, if Gengar is about to bite the dust, Destiny Bond can be used as a last-ditch effort to take a foe down, and Gengar can use it quite well thanks to its high Speed.

Countering Gengar: If it doesn't have Substitute, Thunder Wave works very well. Gengar just can't be at the top of its game without its Speed. Chansey, Blissey, and Ferrothorn can all do this, but beware of Focus Blast.

Pursuit is very effective, especially considering Gengar's poor Defense. Scizor won't like Focus Blast much, but it can easily pick off a weakened Gengar. Metagross is in a similar boat. Priority works quite well on Gengar, as does revenge killing. Any Pokemon that reach 351 or more Speed is what you want, since 99% of Gengar are Timid, from what I know.

Levitate + Posion Type is an invitation to Mold Breakers with Earthquake. Ghost Type gives you lots of potential against Fighting, Normal, Psychic, and Ghost Types, especially with that lovely Base 110 Speed, but being so fragile makes Speed and offense so much more valuable to Gengar. Base 60 HP & Defense and Base 75 Sp.Def won't wall much at all if they actually hit, making Priority an option, but since many Priority Moves are Normal or Fighting Type, it's a less accessible option since only Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Bullet Punch, Aqua Jet, and Ice Shard can affect Gengar.

Other options are Tank-n-Spank or Hit Fast & Hit Hard Tactics. Special Walling Gengar is the best option for Slower-Than-Base 110 Pokemon, but with as many Move-Type Options as it has, it's less desirable. Weavile, Alakazam, and Starmie are the best bets for hitting Gengar hard and fast where it hurts...

In past generations, Gengar was mainly countered by Special Walls and faster Pokemon that can just beat it down. With the advent of 5th Generation and the ever popular Sub-Disable set, Gengar's list of counters was hit a bit, and he needs to be handled differently. Pranksters all shut down Gengar with Taunt.Cloyster and Cinccino both OHKO Gengar through his Substitutes thanks to Skill Link with Icicle Spear and Rock Blast. Espeon and Xatu can switch on Disable to stop its game plan and kill it if it lacks a Substitute, but Gengar can kill them both off easily otherwise with Shadow Ball. Playing defensively against Gengar, avoid using Choice Pokemon to fight Gengar. You'll be stuck in the water if it hits with Disable before you can kill it.

Gengar is annoying when I see him in team preview I just wish I have my scarfer with good health before he shows up .
Subtitute and many immunities are his biggest sell points but a scarf set can work cause no one expect it and being immune to spikes and only neutral to stealth rock is a good thing for choiced sets.
When looking at gengar in gen 1.. with his high special stat. and being the only ghost.. why was ghost type physical?

Shadow ball is STAB 120 BP just like focus miss which both have perfect coverage when combined, thunderbolt beat those water types that are everywhere with rain teams and with rain teams in mind just use thunder. Trick is there to screw walls like eviolite chansey and vaporeon who can be annoying otherwise Timid is recomended to outspeed scarf base 108s (like terrakion and keldeo)

Last edited by Ilan; 21st October 2012 at 4:38 PM.

Originally Posted by Professor Oak

Only two things are infinite, the universe and the amount of zubat in caves, and I'm not sure about the former.

I have found very few Ghost-types that truly stand out, and Gengar is actually no exception. I'm not a fan of Ghost-types. The only ghost I use is Chandelure, who I appreciate more for its Fire-typing.
I'm not saying Gengar is bad. Oh no, Gengar is an excellent Pokemon. The problem is is that Pursuit users will leave Gengar completely helpless, especially Scizor and Tyranitar. While Gengar has immunity to priority moves Quick Attack, Extremespeed, Mach Punch, and Vacuum Wave, it's still hit by Sucker Punch, Bullet Punch, Shadow Sneak (though this is a little less common), Ice Shard, and Aqua Jet. Gengar will get weathered down by strong STAB moves fairly quickly because of its poor bulk. These factors make Gengar heavily reliant on Substitute.
Now, let's talk positive. Gengar has a wonderful base 130 special attack stat, backed by a very nice base 110 speed. Gengar's movepool is also quite colorful, and those colors have merit. Gengar is able to function as a straightforward attacker, or as a status platform. As a status platform, STAB Hex will put big holes in enemies. As an attacker, Gengar's STAB Shadow Ball is backed by Focus Blast, Hidden Power, Thunderbolt, and Giga Drain.
Time for movesets!

Usually, Gengar will want to fire on all spiritual cylinders with that base 130 special attack, but not here. Will-o-Wisp is the status move of choice, crippling any physical attacker that lacks Guts, especially Gengar's exorcists: Tyranitar and Scizor. Thunder Wave will cripple practically anything that is not a ground type, while Hypnosis MIGHT cripple one foe for good. Substitute can help Gengar leave the field without dying to any Pursuit. Hex not only rips statused things apart, but offers something to use if Gengar gets hit by Taunt.

PerishTrapping has not been one of those tactics that make people run in fear. Gengar can make it work. Mean Look and Perish Song make the core of the set. Protect lets you stall for Perish Song's countdown. Grudge sets Gengar apart from other PerishTrappers. In between Protects, Gengar can throw this move up to drain the PP of any move that kills it, making it a great fallback plan if PerishTrapping won't work. If you used Grudge BEFORE PerishTrapping, it will make your opponent think twice about saving what's staring down Gengar. If Grudge doesn't suit you, or you fear Taunt, you can opt for Shadow Ball instead.

Who didn't see THIS coming?
Nature: Timid (not very Gengar-ish, but whatever)
EVs: 252 speed and special attack, 4 HP
@: Choice Specs

Shadow Ball
Focus Blast
Hidden Power Fire
Sludge Bomb/Thunderbolt

I only realized the pun after I wrote it. Whatever. We've all seen Choice sets before. This is nothing new.

For counters, the biggest will Pursuit Pokemon. Gengar can handle them with the right moves though. Tyranitar is hit by Focus Blast hard, even with its SpDef under the sand. Scizor hates the somewhat rarer HP Fire(except all of them use it when I play).

Conkeldurr can counter Gengar when played correctly. If you are predicting a SubDisable set and you are running a Bulk Up set with Drain Punch, Mach Punch, and Payback, naturally Gengar wants to disable Payback. So use Payback once for the lure, then Mach Punch the next turn. Gengar will then be unable to disable any other moves.

Unfortunately, I am not a fan of Gengar, but that is not because I do not think it is good.

You Don't Say? I had no idea that a Choice Band Adamant Victini with maximum attack EVs and IVs that was baton passed +6 in attack and Skill Swapped Pure Power OHKO's Hasty Dry Skin Lvl 1 Paras with no defense EVs or IVs and -6 in defense under sun with a critical hit V-Create.

In past generations, Gengar was mainly countered by Special Walls and faster Pokemon that can just beat it down. With the advent of 5th Generation and the ever popular Sub-Disable set, Gengar's list of counters was hit a bit, and he needs to be handled differently. Pranksters all shut down Gengar with Taunt.Cloyster and Cinccino both OHKO Gengar through his Substitutes thanks to Skill Link with Icicle Spear and Rock Blast. Espeon and Xatu can switch on Disable to stop its game plan and kill it if it lacks a Substitute, but Gengar can kill them both off easily otherwise with Shadow Ball. Playing defensively against Gengar, avoid using Choice Pokemon to fight Gengar. You'll be stuck in the water if it hits with Disable before you can kill it.

This set is quite good. This is useful vs stuff like tyranitar. It is a suicide lead. Is the foe seems like it can really be a pain, it can destiny bond and bring it crashing down. Shadow ball and focus blast are to stop taunters. Psychic is for coverage, whereas will o wisp breaks physical threats.

This set is quite good. This is useful vs stuff like tyranitar. It is a suicide lead. Is the foe seems like it can really be a pain, it can destiny bond and bring it crashing down. Shadow ball and focus blast are to stop taunters. Psychic is for coverage, whereas will o wisp breaks physical threats.

Tjis one is a pain,. Perish song and mean look need no explanation. Shadow ball and focus blast are for if taunted

Espeon and xatu are both 0HKOed by gengar.. a timid espeon only speed ties with gengar so 50/50 chance to beat when facing 1 vs. 1 (none can switch into the other though) what does psychic hits? why not use subtitute instead?

I wonder if blue harvest really wrote celebis' POTW there were some off points.. magical leaf? why not tackle then really.. just no.

Last edited by Ilan; 21st October 2012 at 5:23 PM.

Originally Posted by Professor Oak

Only two things are infinite, the universe and the amount of zubat in caves, and I'm not sure about the former.

I wonder if blue harvest really wrote celebis' POTW there were some off points.. magical leaf? why not tackle then really.. just no.

Nope, my computer has been acting up. Serebii wrote the Celebi one and Kyurem's alt forms. My computer will be down for a while, so we may need to find someone else to write it for now, or permanently (or just make Serebii do it).

Gengar is a cool pokemon.Pretty much the biggest definition of glass cannon in the whole OU, as its offensive stats are great, but almost any hit(bar fighting, normal or ground) will likely take it down in 2-3 hits MAX.Also he is stopped cold by the blobs.Being resistant to entry hazards and poison is great for him.A good partner to him would be zoroark, as they both have look-alike movesets(focus blasts, for example) and zoroark can trick others to use a psychic attack on it, while gengar can make em think its zoroark and use figting attacks on him.Enjoy mindgaming the opponent.

As gengar has technically no defenses, investing in them is almost pointless.A good idea might be to start with a substitute when possible.Dunno, switch tyranitar out and send in gengar when a choice-locked breloom mach punches, for example.Then, substitue to cover and go for the sweep.Shadow ball is for stab, and goes great with focus blast for coverage.Thunderbolt to finish the coverage(and being able to make skarmory take damage) or dark pulse to trick the enemy into thinking its zoroark.The item choice is simple, Life orb for raw power, or leftovers for survability, but the drop in power is noticeable.

Gengar is one of the two original Pokemon who has managed to stay in standard play for every generation, and for good reason: It has a massive movepool containing many viable options, high Special Attack and Speed, Levitate, and a typing that allows it to come in fairly easily. While it has among the lowest defenses in OU, it more than makes up for its x4 resistance to Bug-type attacks, allowing it to take weaker hits from Scizor and Genesect, and its immunity to Fighting- and Ground-type moves. Gengar is also one of the few special attackers that can boast being able to take on Chansey and most Blissey and win. The generation shift also brought Gengar's arguably most deadly set, SubDisable, to the table, which works well against Fighting-types that pack only one move that effects Gengar, such as Lucario and Terrakion. Overall, Gengar is a top-threat in today's metagame, its only true flaws being its low defenses and weakness to Pursuit.

AbilityLevitate: This is one of Gengar's big selling points. Ground-type move are easy to lure in with many OU Pokemon being weak to them, and this gives Gengar a free chance to come in and wreck havoc.

This is my favorite Gengar set, and it works amazingly. The idea is to set up Substitute when you get the chance and let the opponent switch to something that they think can beat it, like Choice Scarf Terrakion or Shell Smash Cloyster. On the next turn, they will likely break the Sub, and this gives you the chance to Disable their move, which is more often than not the only move that they have that is effective against Gengar. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast give Gengar perfect neutral coverage together.

Gaze in horror at possibly the most destructive Gengar set. The moves are the same, but this set's most important move is Pain Split. Since Gengar has a low base HP stat, it will be able to recover a lot of health from most other Pokemon. Combined with Life Orb and Substitute recoil, it is very effective. All this allows it to take down Chansey and Blissey much faster than other sets.

This set aims to get more coverage at the expense of utility. Shadow Ball and Focus Blast still get perfect neutral coverage together, while it has an added coverage move for more super-effective hits. Hidden Power Fire is generally recommended so Gengar can get past its arch-nemesis, Scizor. However, if the imperfect speed IV turns you off, Thunderbolt is an acceptable option to hit Tornadus-T and Water-types harder. Substitue is pretty much a need on any Gengar set, as it takes advantage of the switches it causes.

Other Options
Gengar has a huge movepool, so there are certainly other viable options. Thunder can be used over Thunderbolt if you have Rain support. Giga Drain can be used to hit Gastrodon, who might be problematic due to its high special defense. Sludge Bomb provides a Strong Secondary STAB, but gets redundant coverage. Gengar has a descent support movepool, including Will-O-Wisp, Mean Look, Haze, Perish Song, Taunt, and Hypnosis, but there are better users of these moves. Choice items may also be used, particularly Choice Scarf, as it allows Gengar to beat Latios and Latias in any situation, but due to its weakness to Pursuit, it is easily preyed upon due to its need to switch often.

Counters
Despite Gengar's incredible movepool, Speed, and Special Attack, there are a few Pokemon who can take it on. Choice Band Scizor is the best answer to it. Pursuit will OHKO Gengar even if it stays in. Just be careful, as if it is a behind a Substitute, it will be able to disable Pursuit, forcing Scizor out. Scizor also has to watch out for Hidden Power Fire. Swords Dance variants can simply Bullet Punch it to oblivion. Metagross is in a similar position, having access to both Pursuit and Bullet Punch, but fears Hidden Power Fire. Tornadus-T comes in at number two, as it naturally outspeeds Gengar and can hit it back, but once again struggles against the SubDisable set, and needs to avoid Thunder(bolt). Gastrodon is the closet thing to a counter to that set, as it can trick Gengar into Disabling Earth Power or Toxic, then hit back with Scald and Recover any damage taken.

Nope, my computer has been acting up. Serebii wrote the Celebi one and Kyurem's alt forms. My computer will be down for a while, so we may need to find someone else to write it for now, or permanently (or just make Serebii do it).

The problem is the POTW have some errors like big root - leftovers recovers more HP than big root and U-turn being in other options when in pre-B2W2 metagame U-turn was a standard (not sure about now) Heal bell isn't everywhere it should be in the support set perish song also it is a great move with great synergy with U-turn. apart from those point it seems well.

Last edited by Ilan; 21st October 2012 at 5:56 PM.

Originally Posted by Professor Oak

Only two things are infinite, the universe and the amount of zubat in caves, and I'm not sure about the former.

I wonder if blue harvest really wrote celebis' POTW there were some off points.. magical leaf? why not tackle then really.. just no.

In the ever-growing non-Smogon battle circuit, Magical Leaf is a viable move. Our Pokémon of the Weeks aren't based on Smogon tiers, we cover everything, including VGC where evasion editing things are not banned

In the ever-growing non-Smogon battle circuit, Magical Leaf is a viable move. Our Pokémon of the Weeks aren't based on Smogon tiers, we cover everything, including VGC where evasion editing things are not banned

yes but in any competitive battling play the EVsets listed in the POTW for celebi are absolutely terrible. =[